In this issue
The First from Cambridge
Message from Paul
Switching to CellNass causes
‘minimal disruption’
New Customer:
Royal Cornwall Hospital
CellNass customers eligible
for VAT reclamation
Colin’s Column
ProMarc Supa Mega Mother Ship
SPACE
CellTec Block Trimmer Plus
CELLULAR PATHOLOGY NATIONAL ARCHIVE SECURE SOLUTION
HTA License Number: 12434
ISSUE
7
YOUR
SUMMER
2014
NEWS FROM THE CELLNASS ARCHIVE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
The First
from Cambridge
“I have people asking
me why we don’t
do the storage and
archiving ourselves…
If we were to do it the
costs involved simply
wouldn’t add up –
using CellNass is
a no-brainer!”
D
id you know that the CellNass Service
has been operating for almost 10 years?
Since the initial concept the facilities
have seen expansion 3 times, and if you visit
the headquarters today you’ll discover a
state-of-the-art purpose-built archiving solution
designed with the customer in mind. But why
exactly did our first customer choose CellNass?
To find out this and more – including their
experiences of using CellNass for the best
part of decade – we interviewed Ian Sturgess,
Histopathology Manager at Addenbrooke’s
Hospital in Cambridge.
“I’ve been at Addenbrooke’s for 7 years,” says
Ian. “So I did inherit the CellNass system but it’s
been so valuable, trouble-free and efficient that
there’s never been any question about changing.
I hear of very few problems so that’s got to be a
good sign!”
Addenbrooke’s is a hospital connected to
Cambridge University, providing care for the
community while retaining a strong research
focus. A tissue bank is maintained for research
and education and samples here are kept for
a long period (with samples recently sent to
CellNass dating back to the 40’s and 50’s).
With medical and tissue bank staff there are
approximately 160 employees performing
tests – with full consent of course – on
900,000 specimen samples a year.
ourselves but CellNass already have a successful
facility and system in place. If we were to do
it the costs involved in both the licensing and
freeing my staff to go there (and retrieve)
simply wouldn’t add up – It’s a no-brainer!”
“Normally there’s a legal requirement for slides
to be kept for 10 years and blocks for 30 years,
but due to the important research we conduct
here it makes sense for our blocks and slides to
be kept for much longer, potentially indefinitely
– they’re a valuable resource that helps us find
cures and discover new insight. The 24-hour
turnaround retrieval request process available
with CellNass plays an important role – when
my team need to retrieve blocks/slides it’s a
very easy and efficient process.”
Ian and his team take advantage of the CellNass
indexing system and a process whereby their
metal slide/block trays are taken from the
cabinets, uplifted from the site and put into
cardboard boxes at the CellNass facility, with the
metal trays then returned – eliminating the need
for Addenbrooke’s to purchase new cabinets.
Having established that Ian is happy with a
system that is working well it felt like time
to discover how Addenbrooke’s first heard
about CellNass.
Before deciding to opt for CellNass’ system
Addenbrooke’s kept their tissue samples
on-site, so why was the change needed?
“Although I wasn’t in charge when we opted to
use CellNass I’ve actually known Colin Brewer –
who is very much of the histopathology sector –
since about 1988. He approached me when
developing the idea for CellNass and used me
as an informal sounding board. They’re people
I trust and despite CellNass being almost
10-years old there’s still nobody offering a
comparable service.”
“CellNass are not just a storage facility: They
collect, archive, ensure optimum conditions for
tissue samples and have HTA certification, which
is essential. Occasionally I have people asking
me why we don’t do the storage and archiving
CellNass, the cost effective and secure archive management solution
Microscope slides • Tissue blocks • Wet samples / specimens • Museum specimens • Paper & reports
1
SPACE
YOUR
CellNass has seen another successful
year and it’s been pleasing to see the
company continuing to grow from
strength to strength. While company
growth is important, our first priority
will always be ensuring our customers
remain satisfied with the service we
provide. As part of this commitment
we are very proud to announce that for
our long-term contract customers prices
have been inflation-proofed for the term
of the contract.
Since the last issue we have developed a number
of positive initiatives enabling us to deliver an
even more efficient and consistent service. There
has been the successful unveiling of our new
‘vault’, which is now operational. This provides
increased CellNass capacity. We also have a new
cataloguing facility, employing 3 new members
of staff – 1 on the recall team, 2 on pack-up and
indexing – and new soon-to-be-delivered state
of the art material specimen handling equipment
which will improve efficiency, health and safety
and reduce risk.
issue 7 Summer 2014
Switching to
CellNass causes
‘minimal disruption’
One reason customers are sometimes reluctant
to change to CellNass is that they’re worried
about the disruption and difficulty it may cause
to employees and workflow. After all, removing
(in many instances) decades worth of slides
and blocks can appear an arduous undertaking.
Simon Wiggley, Deputy Histopathology
Laboratory manger at West Suffolk Hospital,
kindly agreed to share his experiences.
Q And were there difficulties in the transition?
A Not at all. They came to our site for 2-3 days, working
Q How did you hear about CellNass
A We’d been aware of them for 7-8 years but at that time
Q Would you ever consider choosing another provider?
might be companies doing similar things but none
A There
that have CPA and HTA authorisation. It’s important we
we still had some space for samples. This space was more
recently re-appropriated by another department – it
became clear we needed a solution.
Q How did you end up working with CellNass?
A We got the ball rolling, they sent us a quote and we
accepted. Bob’s your uncle!
diligently and causing minimal disruption. The whole
process was very smooth.
Q Is the on-going service good?
A We do fairly regular retrievals simply by filling out an
electronic form. We get a very fast response to that
and the samples are generally returned in 1-2 days.
have an audit trail that shows we’re compliant. CellNass’
experience and reputation is also reassuring.
Q Have you ever visited the CellNass site?
A Not yet, no – it’s a bit of a trek from Sussex!
One statistic you may find interesting is that,
compared to last year, there has been an 80%
increase in the number of recalls. At CellNass
we are continuously striving to meet and
exceed the demands of our customers and,
as mentioned above, not only have we already
recruited to meet this demand, but we are
already developing plans for additional facilities.
Watch this space. Until next time, I hope you
enjoy our newsletter.
Best regards,
Paul Webber
Joint Managing Director.
Why not speak to an
existing user...
We will introduce you to a local contact
where you can discuss the benefits of using
our service in confidence.
Email: [email protected]
2
CellNass, the cost effective and secure archive management solution for…
CELLULAR PATHOLOGY NATIONAL ARCHIVE SECURE SOLUTION
Are CellNass
customers eligible
for VAT reclamation?
Contracted Out Services (COS) is a
Treasury refund mechanism (to the NHS
or Government departments) of the amount
of the VAT incurred on eligible services
under VAT Act 1994 s.41(3).
COS was introduced in 1983 as a result of Government policy
to open up the public sector to private sector competition in
various areas of activity. Private sector organisations charging
VAT for their services would have been at a competitive
disadvantage against internal public sector providers which
did not. The solution was to refund the VAT incurred on the
charges by the private-sector providers but only in limited areas
and only for services (although section 41(3) actually refers to
“goods or services”).
COS Heading 631 is Storage, Distribution and Goods Disposal
Services. This includes the provision of storage, distribution or
goods disposal services by an external contractor or supplier,
such as the archiving of documents or record storage and retrieval
services. Also includes the storage of goods, equipment or stock
etc. or the distribution of goods, equipment or stock etc. and the
destruction of documents for the disposal of goods, equipment or
stock or incineration services.
The National Health Service/A Guide to Value Added Tax (HMRC 2004) para 6
Heading 63 p57/CIPFA TIS Health VAT Manual -Heading COS 63.
1
You are welcome to
visit CellNass for a
tour of our facilities.
To arrange a visit contact CellPath’s
Customer Care Team on 01686
611 333.Your local Territory
Manager will contact you with
further details and an invitation
to visit us at Newtown.
New Customer:
Royal Cornwall
Hospital
Valerie Rodd is the experienced
Histopathology Manager at the Royal
Cornwall Hospital Trust in Truro. She’s
been part of the team there for 25 years,
and during this period they’ve become
regular and loyal CellPath customers.
We were delighted then when the RCH
became CellNass’ latest client, and were
keen to ask Val a few questions in order
to discover the reasons behind the
decision to adopt the CellNass solution.
The process of choosing CellNass began in earnest when
CellPath’s Myrna Morgan, Territory Manager, and Colin
Brewer, CellPath’s HTA Designated Individual, visited
the site and provided a quote for the initial uplift and
subsequent ongoing archiving. After that – and having
convinced the Trust that it was the best option – the
customer relationship began.
“It wasn’t a snap decision!” Val began. “It’s the result of
discussion and a fair degree of persuasion on my part
over a number of years before deciding it was the right
solution for us.”
“Since using CellNass we’ve had more retrievals than
expected. In fact, we had requests for retrievals when
the initial uplift was only just on its way from our site
and hadn’t even been indexed yet!
The Royal Cornwall Hospital serves a dispersed
resident population of approximately 500,000 people.
Val manages a 23-strong team of staff and they receive
approx 35,000 histology samples per year with a varied
workload, encompassing “all the specialties you’d expect
in a general hospital, barring neuropathology”. There is
a well-equipped Biomedical Science dissection lab, the
hospital possesses full Clinical Pathology Accreditation
(CPA) and is HTA registered.
“I thought this might prove problematic but getting the
requested items back was actually very efficient and
accurate. We’ve sent 25 years worth of stored blocks/
slides to CellNass (with the most recent 5-years staying
here at the RCHT) and I’m pleased the future storage
of our material has been resolved and confident we’ll
benefit from an efficient and reliable service”.
“The process was very efficient and CellNass organised
everything – we even get cardboard storage boxes as
part of our contract… ‘Moving Day’ went very smoothly
with good teamwork between CellNass and my team
– and Myrna overseeing everything. I was very pleased
despite the fact life was made more tricky by a heavy
downpour that day!
The cytology department on site receives over 50,000
vital cytology samples.
With such a large quantity of material being taken, and all
of it requiring proper indexing and storing, it’s no surprise
storage space was a chief reason for the decision:
“Previously blocks and slides were stored on site, but
we were simply running out of space,” explained Val.
“We did move the material into temporary on-site
storage but in the long-term it simply wasn’t a viable
solution. We looked into those self-storage solutions
but there were a number of drawbacks such as no HTA
accreditation and a stipulation that due to the weight of
the material that it could only be stored on the ground
floor, with no guarantee of future availability.”
“The uplift process was
very smooth and CellNass
organised everything –
we even get cardboard
storage boxes as part
of our contract.”
Microscope slides • Tissue blocks • Wet samples / specimens • Museum specimens • Paper & reports
3
your
your space
space issue
issue 7
7 may 2014
SUMMER 2014
ProMarc Supa Mega Mother Ship
It is clear that accurate and reliable tracking of specimens is
paramount to the histology laboratory. The ability to identify Supa
Mega cassettes has, until now, been a process prone to human error.
CellPath’s Supa Mega Mother Ship cassettes use an innovative
permanent docking bay for a standard tissue processing cassette
printed with a 2D bar code and/or request information.
The new product provides a number of benefits:
Colin’s
Column
Looking for an ally in
the Battle of Archive
Management?
The clever Research & Development folk
at CellPath have been busy perfecting
the new (and exuberantly named)
ProMarc Supa Mega Mother Ship. This
exciting product has now completed
testing and is ready for take off.
• 5mm tissue section thickness
• Significantly reduces turn around times
• Improved specimen quality, reducing distortion with no curling
or “pringle” effects
• Time saving by ensuring rapid casting of block, 30 minutes at -8°C
(using a Supa Mega Mother Ship base mould) compared to 50
minutes with conventional Supa Mega cassettes
• Improved processing and reduced carry-over due to a large open
area of Hex pore design to maximise fluid exchange
“Okay,” I hear you say, “he’s off on one of them again! What
could this possibly have to do with CellNass?” Well, I will tell
you… Historians have postulated many theories as to what
went wrong at Isandlwana and in every case it appears various
small things compounded to create a big disaster. Two of the
main problems were an excess of ‘red-tape’ and not having
the correct tools for the job because the army failed to enlist
a supplier who understood the specific requirements and had
the experience and resources to deliver what was needed in
time. There were also issues with scouting and reconnaissance
(nobody knew where people and things were) and certainly a
case of overconfidence: As esteemed expert Blackadder put it,
“In those days we were facing natives armed with sharpened
fruit” when in fact they were facing the greatest fighting force
on the continent. So how do you ensure that a similar disaster
doesn’t happen to you and your team?
At CellNass we now have over 10-years experience of dealing
with a huge repository of material – any sample can be located
within 15 minutes (thanks to our experienced and dedicated
staff). We are specialists with almost 100 years of combined
bench experience who have made it our business to fully
understand the world of histopathology and the requirements
for an archive management and retrieval service. So the answer’s
simple – by choosing CellNass you will avoid your Isandlwana.
Colin Brewer
CellNass Manager
HTA Designated Individual
Contact Colin on Mobile: 07803 466125
Email: [email protected]
4
Contact us
Designed by www.motifcreative.com
As I’m sure you’re all well aware, the 22nd of January
1879 was a dark day in the annals of British Military
history. An Imperial field force of approximately
1,300 men was wiped out by the might of the Zulu
nation at a battlefield called Isandlwana. On the
very same day a small garrison of 150 men at the
mission station of Rorke’s Drift was attacked by an
overwhelming force of 3,000-4,000 men and barely
– though heroically – survived.
CellTec
Block
Trimmer Plus
The CellTec Bock Trimmer Plus has been
validated as part of the Supa Mega Mother
Ship range. It allows users to remove excess
paraffin wax efficiently from the outside of
tissue cassettes, with no risk of damage to
printed text or barcodes and with improved
safety for laboratory staff.
•Melted paraffin wax is collected in a disposable collection pot.
•The Block Trimmer Plus features an ExacTrim Locator designed
to remove the wax from the writing surface of a standard
cassette implanted in the Supa Mega Mother Ship. The ExacTrim
can also be used as a fine detail trimmer for conventional blocks.
•Also full Super Mega Ship Range available which includes: Slides,
cover slips, base moulds, slide rack adapters, archiving solutions.
CellPath Ltd
80 Mochdre Enterprise Park,
Newtown, Powys,
SY16 4LE, Mid Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1686 611 333
Fax: +44 (0) 1686 622 946
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cellpath.co.uk